For the last six years, Phoenix-based photographer Jesse Rieser has traveled the country, photographing our nation's obsession with all things Christmas.

Inspired by a four-story inflatable Santa he saw outside of a Christmas tree lot in 2010, Rieser's ongoing project, "Christmas in America: Happy Birthday Jesus," has morphed from a look at the kitschier aspects of the holiday to, as he describes it, "a celebration of people's celebrations."

From a Santa-themed fun run in Las Vegas, to a reindeer petting zoo in Salt Lake City, to a broken sign on a Phoenix home that reads, "Happy Birt Jesus," Rieser captures the spectacular, sincere and often idiosyncratic ways we express our holiday cheer.

Artist Jesse Rieser

((Lauren Mary Bateman) )

Having already photographed in 13 states, this year Rieser set his sights on Texas. He spent a couple of weeks driving across the state before arriving in Dallas-Fort Worth mid-December.

The resulting images from his journey range from only-in-Texas type scenes: a tree decorated with the phrase "Hook 'Em Jesus," and an oversized pair of cowboy boots covered in colored lights, to more quietly surreal moments: a set of letters on the front lawn of a Highland Park home rearranged to spell "LEON," instead of "NOEL," and the festive interior of an eerily empty Austin bar.

Although Reiser's expectations for an over-the-top, Texas-style holiday were certainly met, he was pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome he received from its residents.

A home photographed in Highland Park this month where "Leon" is noel spelled backwards.

((Jesse Rieser) )

"People here are remarkably friendly and proud of their home. Texans really want visitors to love this place as much as they do," he says. "There is something romantic about this state, and how other Americans think of Texas is reminiscent of how people from other countries view America. So much of what other people think of as 'American' stems from Texas — the confluence of a nostalgic, land-based lifestyle, and the glitz and glamor of massive, contemporary cities.

"My project would not be complete without the inclusion of a distinctly Texan point of view."